Plastic tear-off closure caps for bottles and bottle neck adapted to receive the same



March 25. 1969 E. LANGECKER 3,434,613 PLASTIC TEAR-OFF CLOSURE CAPS FOR BQTTLES AND BOTTLE NECK ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE SAME Filed Jan. 26, 1967 Sheet or 3 Erhard Langecker lnvenfor.

BY M

Attomey March 1969 E. LANGECKER PLASTIC TEAR-OFF CLOSURE CAPS FOR BOTTLES AND BOTTLE NECK ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE SAME Sheet ,Q of 3 Filed Jan. 26, 1.967

Erhard Langecker Invenfor March 25, I969 E. LANGECKER 3,434,513 PLASTIC TEAR-OFF CLOSURE CAPS FDR BOTTLES AND BOTTLE NECK ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE SAME Filed Jan. 26) 1967 Sheet ,5 of3 Fig.7 Fig.8

Erhard Langecker Inventor.

5 By {X Attorney United States Patent PLASTIC TEAR-OFF CLOSURE CAPS FOR BOTTLES AND BOTTLE NECK ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE SAME Erhard Langecker, Hohhuschener Weg, Meinerzhagen, Germany Filed Jan. 26, 1967, Ser. No. 611,987 Claims priority, application Germany, Feb. 9, 1966, L 52,830; Jan. 9, 1967, L 55,463 Int. Cl. B65d 5/54 U.S. Cl. 215-41 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A plastic tear-0E bottle closure or cap, comprising an upper and a lower portion, wherein the lower portion is equipped with a tear-off tongue and may be separated from the upper part by a weakening groove which may be torn open by means of pulling the tear-off tongue, whereby the said lower and upper portions may be separated for first opening the bottle and the upper part may be subsequently reused for closing the same; the invention also comprises a bottle neck adapted to receive such bottle closing cap.

The invention relates to a tear-off safety closure of synthetic resin for bottles and to a bottle neck adapted to receive such closure. More particularly, the invention is suitable for crown cap bottles, having an annular bead on the bottle neck for receiving the crown cap.

The crown cap has the advantage of safeguarding the user against manipulation of the contents of the bottle by third parties. The fitting of a sheet metal crown cap requires special closing machines for carrying out the mechanical deformation of the rim of the crown cap to ensure that the same is seated reliably on the top bead of the bottle neck. Prior to use, the crown cap must be removed with a special tool, the manipulation of which requires a certain amount of force and dexterity.

There are also known closures for such bottles, made of synthetic resins, by means of which the bottle can be closed again, after part of its contents has been used and after the metal crown cap has been removed. These known closures or caps from a gas-tight closure. The said plastic closures have a projecting gripping rim along their edge, by means of which the closure or cap can be pulled off the bottle neck under elastic deformation. With these plastic caps it is also known to arrange a bracket-like tongue on the edge, which ends in a circular eyelet which is pushed over the supporting bead of the bottle neck so that the cap can be reliably secured to the bottle and cannot be lost.

The present invention has the object of providing a tearoif safety closure of plastic for crown cap bottles, where by the use of hitherto required crown caps becomes unnecessary, while still protecting the user with regard to the contents of the bottle so that the user has the guarantee that the content of the bottle has not been interfered with. According to the invention, this object is realized in that the bottle neck has, just underneath the edge bead, an annular projecting flange, at the top of which is an annular groove, recessed in the wall of the bottle neck, and in that the safety closure consists of a cap, made in one piece, resting both behind the edge bead and the annular groove in the bottle neck and sealingly on the opening of the neck of the bottle; the cap has, below its upper inner bead, a sleeve-shaped portion, equipped with a tearofl tongue projecting from its lower edge and connected to a weakening groove extending over the sleeve-shaped part of the cap.

According to a further feature of the invention, the diameter of the annular groove and the inner diameter of the internal head on the lower part of the cap are at least equal and preferably larger than the outer diameter of the edge bead of the bottle neck. Hence, when the safety closure is fitted On to the bottle, the inner bead of the lower cap portion can slide freely over the edge bead of the bottle neck, and deformation of the lower part of the cap cannot occur. When the closure is fitted, only the lower part of the cap is deformed on the bottle neck prior to its engagement in the annular groove thereof, immediately prior to the engagement of the inner head of the upper part of the cap over the top edge bead of the bottle neck. By means of this feature, the safety closure can be fitted easily and reliably on to the bottle neck.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the weakening groove in the sleeve-like part of the cap extends obliquely to the axis of the cap and terminates below the upper cap portion, engaging behind the edge bead of the bottle neck, whilst the sleeve-like part of the cap passes, under formation of a circular, projecting shoulder into a zone of reinforced or thicker material of the upper part of the cap. It is here essential that a notch should be located at the start of the said weakening groove of the sleeve-like cap portion. The arrangement of this notch is essential, because, for reasons of extrusion techniques, the wall thickness of the weakening groove must not drop below a certain value. This arrangement of a notch at the start of the weakening groove facilitates the tearing off, and the tear progresses necessarily in the direction of the groove. In the absence of such a notch, there is the risk of a tear taking place elsewhere and of the tongue being torn off before the cap of the safety closure starts to break open.

When the tear-off tongue is not operated, the closure is firmly connected with the bottle neck. by means of the simultaneous engagement of its edge bead and annular groove with the bottle neck. Removal of the closure without operating the tear-off tongue is impossible, since the lower cap portion engages with its internal bead in the annular groove and rests at the same time with its lower surface on the annular flange of the bottle neck so that opening of the bottle without actually tearing open the tongue is impossible. Particularly with plastic bottles, the lower surface of the annular projecting flange serves to position the bottle in the closure-mounting machine. Thus, the annular flange prevents any deformation of the part of the bottle above the flange, and assures therefore the reliable fitting of the closure to the bottle. When the user wishes to open the bottle, he must tear open the lower part of the cap over its entire length along the weakening groove up to the point immediately below the upper part of the cap. Since there is a notch between the lower and upper portions of the cap, pulling on the tongue can separate these two parts completely from each other. This separation is substantially facilitated by the oblique configuration of the said weakening groove in the lower part of the cap.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cap portion has an annular cylindrical projection overlying the bottle flange, forming with a part of its wall a tear-off tongue terminating in a radially projecting gripping member, and having a weakening groove starting from the weakening groove of the cap portion and extending horizontally below the bead of the cap portion to the gripping member, and terminating in a slot at the side of the gripping member. This modification has the advantage of avoiding a vertically downwardly directed tear-off tongue which can form an obstruction when the closure is fitted by machines, as known in the art. In this modification, the tear-off tongue is formed by a part of the periphery of a cylindrical portion, extending in a horizontal plane, so that there is no freely projecting tear-ofl member. This closure can also be easily operated, because, owing to the provision of the slot in the said cylindrical portion, the tongue can be easily lifted and pulled off along the weakening groove. The weakening groove has a uniform, small thickness also in the lower part of the inner bead of the cap, where it is either correspondingly deeper, or where the bead has a corresponding break.

To ensure the reliable tearing open of the lower part of the cap along the weakening grooves, there are arranged, according to a further feature of the invention, preferably on both sides of the weakening groove, parallel strips extending in the lower part of the cap, whereby the material in the lower part of the cap is reinforced and the positive tearing action along the groove is guaranteed.

According to a further feature of the invention, the wall of the sleeve-like part of the cap is bulging outwardly. Hence, with this configuration of the lower portion of the cap, a reliable engagement between the inner bed of the cap and the annular groove of the bottle neck is assured, even with small distance tolerances between the inner bead and the annular groove. During the fitting of the safety closure, which can be effected by a device constructed after the manner of a corking machine, the bulge may be straightened by overlying clamps of the closing machine so that, after the removal of the clamps, the inner bead of the lower part of the cap rests firmly in the annular groove and against the annular flange. Naturally, the height of the lower part of the cap must be correspondingly dimensioned.

Finally, the upper part of the cap must have on its edge a gripping member, projecting horizontally, and known per se.

Thus, the closure, according to the invention, offers prior to its removal the guarantee that the original charge of the bottle is still within the same. After opening and separating the lower part of the cap, the upper portion can be used again as closing cap and may comprise a known ring member for being mounted on the supporting flange of the neck of the bottle.

The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, showing embodiments of the cap arrangement, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of the bottle closure accord ing to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the closure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of FIG. 1 with tear-01f tongue;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-section of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-section of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 shows a modification of the invention in crosssection;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of the modification according to FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 shows the arrangement of FIG. 7 after rotation through 90".

The safety closure according to the invention consists of an integral cap, comprising an upper portion 1 and an apron like lower portion 2. The upper portion 1 of the cap has an upper internal bead 3 which overlies the edge flange 11 of the neck 12 of a bottle, while the lower portion 2 of the cap, having the form of a bulging sleeve with smaller wall thickness, has a lower internal bead 4 along its lower edge, which engages in an annular groove 14 of the bottle neck 12. Underneath the annular groove 14, there is an annular flange 13, projecting outwardly over the bottle neck, and whose upper surface serves as support for the lower rim of the cap part 2, While its lower surface serves as support when the bottle is mounted in the closing machine.

Thus, the closure according to the invention has two closing positions, namely the inner head 3 of the upper cap portion 1 and the inner bead 4 of the lower cap portion 2.

When the bottle is to be opened for the first time, the tear-off tongue or flap 5 is pulled upwardly, as shown in FIG. 3. During this process, the notch or recess 15, located at the start of the weakening groove 6 in the lower part of the cap, is torn, while strengthening strips 7 arranged on both sides of the weakening groove confine the tearing action to the groove. At the transition between the cap portions 1 and 2, there it a notched or recessed line 8 which borders the stronger zone 9 of the upper part of the cap. By pulling the tongue 5, the lower part 2 of the cap is completely separated along this line 8 from the upper part 1 of the cap. After the separation of the lower part of the cap, the upper part 1 of the cap remains on the bottle. This part 1 has a gripping member ltl by means of which it can be pulled off the edge bead 11 of the bottle and it can be refitted thereonto, if required.

In the modified embodiment shown in FIGURES 6 to 8, the cap portion 2 has, adjacent to its inner head 4, a cylindrical extension or apron 16 which overhangs the flange 13 of the neck of the bottle. A part 17 of the periphery of this projection 16 forms the tear-off tongue, wherein the gripping end of the tear-off tongue is equipped with a gripping member or flap 18, projecting radially. The height of this gripping flap 18 corresponds substantially to the height of the projection 16. Underneath the head 4 in the zone of the part 17 forming the tear-off tongue, there is a weakening groove 19, corresponding to the weakening groove 6 of the cap portion 2 and passing thereinto.

In the part 16, there is a slot, located on one side of the gripping flap 18. This slot 20 corresponds in height to the gripping member and extends around the same. When the bottle closure is to be opened, the gripping flap 18 can be lifted ofi the bottle flange 13, owing to the provision of the slot 20', and the opening is effected by pulling open the weakening groove 19 and then the weakening groove 6.

I claim:

1. A safety closure for a bottle having a neck terminating in a mouth formed with a circumferential edge bead, an upper annular recess immediately below said bead, a lower annular recess spaced below said upper annular recess, an annular outwardly projecting flange just below just below said lower recess, said safety closure comprising a synthetic-resin crown cap engaging said bead and closing said mouth of said bottle while defining an upper portion of the closure, said upper portion having a first annular internal bead releasably received in said upper recess, a sleeve-shaped apron formed unitarily with said upper portion and extending downwardly therefrom along the bottle neck between said recesses while defining a lower portion of the closure, said lower portion being provided with a second annular internal bead received in said lower recess, means including a weakening groove extending upwardly along said apron and defining along said apron a tear strip effective, upon its removal, to separate said apron from said cap, said tear strip having a lower end provided with a tongue enabling manual engagement of the tear strip, said lower portion having an annular skirt overlying said flange and forming with part of its wall a laterally projecting gripping flap terminating in said tongue, the first-mentioned weakening groove extending generally horizontally under said cap and from said cap to said gripping flap, said lower portion being further provided with a second weakening groove running along said skirt and leading into the first weakening groove and with a slot in said skirt at a side of said flap.

2. The closure defined in claim 1 wherein said first internal bead has an inner diameter less than the inner diameter of said second internal bead and said second internal bead has an inner diameter greater than said circumferential edge bead of said neck of said bottle.

3. A closure as defined in claim 1 wherein the wall thickness of said upper portion of the closure is greater than the wall thickness of said apron, said closure being further provided with a circular weakening zone at the junction of said upper and lower portions, said upper portion of the closure being formed with an outwardly projecting zone serving to facilitate removal and replacement of the cap on said mouth after separation of said apron from said cap along said circular weakening zone.

4. A closure as defined in claim 1, further comprising a pair of ribs formed on said apron and flanking weakening grooves for confining the tearing of said strip between said ribs.

5. A closure as defined in claim 1 wherein said apron bulges generally outwardly.

6. A safety closure for a bottle having a neck terminating in a mouth formed with a circumferential edge bead, an upper annular recess immediately below said bead, a lower annular recess spaced below said upper annular recess, an annular outwardly projecting flange just below said lower recess, said safety closure comprising a synthetic-resin crown cap engaging said bead and closing said mouth of said bottle while defining an upper portion of the closure, said upper portion having a first annular internal bead releasably received in said upper recess, a sleeve-shaped apron formed unitarily with said upper portion and extending downwardly therefrom along the bottle neck between said recesses while defining a lower portion of the closure, said lower portion being provided with a second annular internal bead received in said lower recess and resting against an upper surface of said flange, means including a weakening groove extending upwardly along said apron and defining along said apron a tear strip effective, upon its removal, to separate said apron from said cap, said tear strip having a lower end provided with a tongue enabling manual engagement of the tear strip, the inner diameter of said second internal bead being at least equal to the internal diameter of said first internal bead.

7. A closure as defined in claim 6 wherein the internal diameter of said second internal bead is larger than the external diameter of said circumferential edge bead, said apron has a relatively small wall thickness and said cap has a relatively large wall thickness in the region of the cap adjoining said apron.

8. A closure as defined in claim 6 wherein said apron is formed with an annular skirt overlying said flange.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,120,900 2/ 1964 Faulstich 215-46 3,272,368 9/1966 Van Baarn 215-4l FOREIGN PATENTSi 1,342,214 9/ 1963 France. 614,483 12/ 1960 Italy.

DONALD F. NORTON, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 215-46 

